I am a resident on Simmonds Drive and I would like to express my feelings regarding the Wilson Farmhouse. My personal opinion is that the farmhouse should be demolished and a sitting area developed in its location. If this building was of such importance for it’s heritage value then it’s restoration should have taken precidence a number of years ago. If the people who are voicing their objections to the demolition of this building were so concerned with saving it why are they only coming forward now after it has fallen into such disrepair. It appears to me that the names of the people who are advocating the loudest for ‘community input/consultation’ don’t even live in the neighbourhood and over the last 3 years that I have been living in the neighbourhood I have yet to see any of them organize a meeting to spearhead saving the building. I doubt that even if the building was restored they would drive here to utilize it. I really doubt that anyone in the south end will drive over to use it, so shouldn’t the ultimate decision really be based on what the people who are going to be live in the immediate neighbourhood want.

I would think that there are far more important ways to spend the communities money on heritage buildings then this fallen farmhouse. For instance the Petrie building which has real heritage value and sits in a location that is much more relevant to the city and ‘community’ sits in our downtown core as an ‘eye sore’ and embarrassment for a city that claims to value ‘heritage restoration’. This particular building is a prime example for my other opinion and that is the Wilson farmhouse definately shouldn’t be ‘severed and sold’. There are so many reasons that this option doesn’t make sense that I won’t list them but the primary reason is the loss of control of what happens to the space. Are we going to have another ‘Petrie Building’ that just sits there as an eye sore.

I know that the ‘Petrie Building’ is privately owned, which didn’t work out well for it’s restoration. If the city is going to try and correct past mistakes why not use the money that would be wasted on the Wilson Farmhouse, which so few in the neighbourhood want restored and put it towards fixing the outside of the ‘Petrie Building’. At least a true heritage building wouldn’t sit as a example of lost opportunities. JH